What are some of the things I can ask a gunsmith to do to make my rifle more accurate? Basically, if I were to bring my rifle to one of you guys, what would be some of the things you could do to make it a better rifle? I am talking about a Model 700 in .308. I have heard the term "trigger job," "free-floating barrel," or “epoxy filler” etc. I may sound stupid and immature, but I am eager to learn. Any information or feedback would greatly be appreciated. Or, if you could give me some suggestions on books for me to read, I would greatly appreciate that as well. Obviously I am not going to do it myself, but I want to familiarize myself with terms and techniques that people use to making a rifle as accurate as can be. Thank you guys.

Lots of info. Brownells is a great source for gunsmithing books, supplies, and tools. Good luck!

badbob

Stephens

November 1, 2006, 03:23 PM

Thanks a lot Badbob. I found a nice book on exactly what I was looking for. But, I was curious if anyone here has had any previous or current experience with doing something like this. Again, thanks.

Metaloy Industries

November 1, 2006, 03:25 PM

I really think you should shoot lots of different ammo first to see what it will and won't do before you spend $$ on accurization. If you have not done this already.

Stephens

November 1, 2006, 03:44 PM

Metaloy-
If you are talking about weight/load, then yes, I need to experiment more with it. However if you are talking caliber- I have shot, .243, .270, 30.06, 7mm, 7mm Weatherby Mag, .300 WinMag, .300 Rem UltraMag, and .300 Weatherby. I am military,and going to be using .308 for the duration of my career. So I want to build a personal one for my own private use.

cntryboy1289

November 1, 2006, 04:29 PM

If you are military, can you not ask one of the armorers to help you out with it? They build rifles to not only shoot accurately, but to stand up to abuse as well. Not that we can't help you out, but if you have access to them I would use it if you can. Trigger jobs and bedding can and do help most of the time as long as the job is done correctly. Done incorrectly, it makes the shifting of POI much harder to diagnose.

Like Metaloy Industries was trying to suggest, how do you know what it will or cannot shoot? Just because you have shot all of those rifles doesn't mean a hill of beans when it comes to what that rifle will shoot. Most folks will shoot four or five times a year to sight the gun in and then put it up in the gun cabinet and only shoot it once or twice if at all so there is a reason he asked the question. Don't take it as a slight or anything because it is very common for a guy to come into my shop wanting a bunch of accuracy work done to a rifle that would shoots lights out with the right ammo that they never tried. I always try the ammo first before I do any work to see what the rifle is capable of.

I would suggest you get behind the trigger and find out what it can do before you try to improve it with as much different brand of ammo and weight of ammo as you can. This way you will be able to tell whoever you have do the work for you what the rifle does. If it is a stock rifle, it may do well for 3-5 shots before heat causes shifts in POI. There is nothing wrong with that if it is a hunting rifle, but if you want to take on serious target work, I would suggest a barrel swap to a heavier target barrel and get as much info by books as you can about target shooting. There are lots of online info as well. Best of luck with it.

Wildalaska

November 1, 2006, 04:34 PM

Shoot it first, then come back with the question. if you get three shots in less then 1/2 inch, leave it alone, except maybe for a trigger job which should be 3.5lbs crisp

WildhowsthatAlaska

Eghad

November 1, 2006, 05:03 PM

Shoot it first, then come back with the question. if you get three shots in less then 1/2 inch, leave it alone, except maybe for a trigger job which should be 3.5lbs crisp

That gets my vote. I would shoo it with a vriety of bullet weights and types to see what I have. The money you spend for a tad more group tightness may be overkill.